I head back inside, avoiding Ryder’s questioning look, and change into a long beach dress. It’s not haute couture, but it’ll hide my still-slightly-blue legs. Three more showers and I still look like I lost a fight with a Smurf. At least the tint has faded from “oh my God” to “maybe she’s part mermaid.”
“I’m going out,” I announce to Ryder, slipping on my flip-flops. “I want to walk on the beach, look at the waves, and check out the spot Valerie chose for the ceremony. You know, make sure it’s not infested with sand crabs or something equally disastrous.”
“Wait,” Ryder calls after me.
I spin around, hands on my hips. “I don’t intend to stay locked in this room like Rapunzel, you know.”
“I didn’t say you had to stay here,Rapunzel,” he retorts, a hint of a smirk on his lips. “Just wait for me to join you. I need to put on shoes.”
I look down at my flip-flops and wiggle my toes. “You don’t need shoes for a beach walk. That’s kind of the point of beaches. Sand, ocean, bare feet...”
“Always need to be prepared,” he says, sitting down to lace up his combat boots.
I can’t help but laugh. “That’s a bit ridiculous. Boots on a Hawaiian beach? Are you expecting a sudden outbreak of... What? Sand ninjas?”
“Safety first,” he answers with his trademark motto. I swear he has it tattooed on his brain.
I roll my eyes so hard I’m surprised they don’t fall out of my head. Ryder grumbles, a sound somewhere between a growl and a sigh.
Knowing how much it irritates him, I roll my eyes again, more dramatically this time.
“Keep that up, and your eyes will get stuck that way,” he warns, getting to his feet. “Where do you want to go?”
“First, we check out the ceremony location,” I say. “Then we wander around. I want to walk without purpose, just enjoy. Tomorrow’s going to be chaos central when I meet Valerie. I need these few moments of calm before the storm hits.”
He nods, his expression softening. “Okay. After you, Little Trouble.”
We start down the path to the beach, the hotel’s manicured grounds giving way to wild, untamed beauty. The ocean stretches out before us, a vast expanse of blue meeting the horizon.
I step onto the sand, relishing the warm grains between my toes. “See? This is what beaches are for. Not boots.”
Ryder grunts, but I catch a flicker of amusement in his eyes.
As we walk, I notice Ryder’s posture relaxing, his usual vigilant scan of our surroundings becoming less pronounced. In the soft evening light, his rugged features look almost peaceful. It’s a good look on him.
We reach the ceremony area, and I snap pictures, my mind already racing with ideas. “Okay, picture this,” I say, gesturing around. “Candles flanking these old steps, the ceremony will be up top, simple wooden chairs on the sand. And flowers. Tons of flowers. Like, ‘did a garden explode here?’ levels of flowers.”
“Sounds...floral,” Ryder comments.
“That’s why I’m the designer and you’re the muscle,” I tease, poking his rock-hard biceps.
As we continue walking, the beach empties until it’s justus, the sand, and the water. On impulse, I flop down onto the sand.
Ryder looks down at me, eyebrow raised. “What are you doing? Testing gravity again?”
“I’m making a sand angel,” I answer, moving my arms and legs. “Haven’t you ever made a snow angel?”
“Can’t say I have,” he replies, watching me with a mix of confusion and amusement.
“Well, this is the tropical version. Come on, try it!”
He shakes his head, but I catch a hint of a smile. “I’ll pass. Someone needs to stay on lookout for those sand ninjas.”
I laugh, feeling freer than I have in months. Sand in my hair, in my dress, probably in places sand should never be, and I couldn’t care less.
A raindrop lands on my nose, followed by another. I look up, blinking as the sky opens up.
Ryder glances skyward, squinting. “It’s raining. We should head back before you melt.”
